Before I get started on my tried-and-true hummus recipe, let me just say that I have been looking forward to this blog post for a long, long time (and so has Nate, because that means he gets to eat all of it).

Earlier this week my friend Keaton posted a vital (and familiar) question to the CITK Facebook page: “Do you have a good recipe for potato knishes? I have been craving them but haven’t found the quality that I have been looking for in Cincy.” That is a good question, indeed.

My hot-blooded Latina mother has never granted me the privilege to write down any of the family recipes. Normally, she guards her secret formulas with sharp knives and booby traps, but recently she trusted me with the family beef empanada recipe. Little does she know that I have decided to share it with all of you wonderful people on my food blog! (Mamá, if you’re reading this: Lo siento mucho de verdad mamá… ¡No fue mi intención lastimarte!)

Before I get going on how delicious this recipe is, let me be clear: making ricotta cheese is so easy that a child could do it. Even the kid in the corner eating glue and making motorcycle noises will do. It’s that easy.